Canada's Bell Media To Offer Streaming TV for Cable Subscribers

CraveTV, previously called Project Latte, is targeting Netflix, not cord-cutters

Canadian broadcaster Bell Media's new streaming service CraveTV will just be for cable subscribers, with users required to authenticate for out-of-home streaming.

As a result, CraveTV, previously code-named Project Latte, isn't targeting cord-cutters flocking to Netflix Canada, which already has four million subscribers.

Instead, the broadcaster will complement its existing cable and pay TV offerings with exclusive online streaming of popular U.S. series like The Big Bang Theory, The Flash, Arrow and all 180 episodes of Seinfeld. Bell Media, which will unveil pricing for CraveTV on Wednesday, is also targeting Canadians looking for HBO online, which Netflix doesn't have.

Around 1,600 hours' worth of TV series on CraveTV will be HBO titles. The SVOD also Tuesday unveiled its latest Canadian online catch-up rights deals for Showtime series like Homeland, Masters of Sex, Weeds and The Big C,and for TNT's The Last Ship and USA Network's Graceland.

On the teen drama front, CraveTV will stream former seasons of CW's Reign and Hart of Dixie, and older shows like The O.C. and Veronica Mars. The upstart Canadian SVOD will also debut episodes of original Canadian series a day before they air on TV.

Local series that receive first-run screenings will be available on CraveTV for their entire current-season run, in addition to past-season episodes already available.